SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro (PIA) – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) MIMAROPA recently awarded a P10-million fish production facility to a fisherfolk association in the municipality of Magsaysay.
BFAR MIMAROPA Regional Director Roberto R. Abrera said the intervention, under the Agriculture and Mariculture Expansion and Invigoration Project, aims to enhance the country’s fish food sufficiency.
“Ngayong taong ito, nag-import tayo ng 30,000 metric tons na isda dahil kulang tayo ng isda. Pagdating ng [bagyong] Kristine, naghirit pa ng 8,000 metric tons [ng isda]. So ito ay isa na nating strategy; kung maganda na yung production natin, bakit pa tayo mag-iimport?” Abrera said.
(This year, we imported 30,000 metric tons of fish because of a shortage. When typhoon Kristine struck the country, we imported another 8,000 metric tons. So this is one of our strategies; if our production will improve, why would we need to import?)
The package includes four fish aggregating devices, 52,000 bangus fingerlings, and more than 1,000 sacks of feeds that will benefit 45 fisherfolks of Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan ng Sta. Teresa Multi-Purpose Fisherfolk Association (MPFA).
Each fish aggregating device is 10 meters in diameter wide and can house around 30,000 bangus and other high-value fish such as pampano, samaral, talakitok, sea bass, groper, and lapu-lapu.
It is made of high-density polyethylene (HPE) and can last up to 10 years.
“Ito po ay typhoon resistant. Hindi na po kagaya ng kawayan na konting hangin, ay mawawasak. So kung structurally speaking, wala po tayong ikapapangamba sa ating yunit na iyan,” Abrera explained.
To ensure project sustainability, BFAR MIMAROPA tied up with the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology, and Occidental Mindoro State College for marketing, training, and value-adding interventions.
Majeto Dela Cruz Sr., chairperson of the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan ng Sta. Teresa MPFA said the intervention will help provide a livelihood for their members.
“Ako po ay nagpapasalamat sa lahat. Sana po kung saka sakaling palarin kami at napalago ay kami po siguro ay malaya pa ring lumapit sa inyong lahat na humingi ng tulong. Pagsisikapin po namin na i-angat,” Dela Cruz said.
Before the turnover, the beneficiaries underwent a three-day Fish Cage Culture and Financial Literacy Training to upskill and prepare the association for production and management.
Magsaysay is the first municipality to receive such a project in the MIMAROPA region, Abrera said. (DSG/PIA MIMAROPA – Occidental Mindoro)
Photos courtesy of BFAR MIMAROPA and MAO Magsaysay
